Common sense study of the Bible,

Common sense sermons,

Common sense prayers and praying,

Common sense communion,

Common sense view of the Bible.

Common sense view of Bible characters,

Common sense view of heaven.

I listened to one of these common sense sermons, the common sense reading and study of the Bible, and that was enough for me. A number of expressions of Moses, David and other Bible saints, were jerked from their connection and presented as samples of vulgarity, ignorance, and even malice, therefore unchristian and a product of purely human propensity or passion.

The result of this kind of preaching and teaching was frankly expressed by a prominent lady in a rather reproving look and tone, "The Catholics have an infallible pope, but you have an infallible book," she said.

That's the fruit, the Sodom-apple of the higher criticism, of the German kultur, and of the English and American as well.

O For a World Revival! Beloved readers, brothers and sisters, we all of us, each one of us, must come right down to the rock foundation of Ezra, believing in the Bible, respecting the Bible, honoring the Bible, and diligently and prayerfully using the Bible as the inspired word of God; every page of it, every chapter of it, every verse of it, every sentence of it, yes, EVERY WORD OF IT, as it verily, substantially, uncontradictibly IS the WORD of GOD from cover to cover.

This we verily believe and acknowledge as the only true and infallible standard, rule and authority concerning our faith, our conduct, our relation to God, and our relation to one another.

And when by the word of God and the Spirit of God, which makes the word alive and effective in our consciences and hearts, have gained control, and are enthroned within us and among us, then we will understand Ezra, weep by his side, confess by his side, feel ashamed of our own sins and sins of our community and state and nation, and then my brethren, the holy fire from above will descend upon us, the world will be set on fire, and the longed-for-world-revival will be at hand.

And this divine fire from heaven will devour malice, selfishness, and enmity, and it will melt away the icebergs of hate and kindle the flame of brotherly love within us all.

Then we would not want to kill or even to hurt the Kaiser, for all that we have against him, but we would wish to have him saved for Christ for Christ's sake; but we must have him stripped from his militarism, knowing that if he will not yield, he will perish in it.

But we return to our blessed Bible, and notice God's dealings with men, the humble and the great:

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.

"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

"Where is the wise? * * * Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? "After that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

"For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom;

"But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

"But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called;

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty;

"And base things of the world, and things which are dispised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are;

"That no flesh should glory in his presence.

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption: "That, according as it is written, 'He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord'

* * *

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged by no man.

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Cor. 1:1831; 2:14, 16.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Ezra's Consistency.

Preparation for the long journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, the distance, the way they would travel was about 900 miles, would require nearly four months.

"Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for our substance.

"For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all that forsake him.

"So we fasted and besought our God for this; and he was entreated of us."

Ezra had recommended his God to the king and submitted good report for him. He had proclaimed God's power and willingness to assist, to protect, to sustain them that seek him; but, on the other hand, His power and wrath is against them that forsake Him.

Now Ezra had also claimed that he and his people, the descendants of Abraham, now known as Israelites, were God's chosen people, that they knew the Lord and worshipped him as the only true and living God, the Creator of heaven and the earth.

How inconsistent, then, to ask for a band of soldiers and horsemen to help them against the enemy in the way. Rightly and consistently the king could have said: "If your God is the kind of God that you have represented Him to be; if He has been to your people what you claim; if He has done for them the great and wonderful works you claim for Him. *now, if all this is so, then why would He not conduct and protect you? Either you have belied and misrepresented your God or you have not confidence in Him yourself."

* *

This is the condition of many confessing Christians and many churches to-day. God, open our eyes, so that we may see, understand and realize conditions as they really are.

Now Ezra, this captive, puts us Christians to shame. He prepares himself and his followers by fasting and prayer; not to induce the God of Abraham to follow them, for he was ever willing to guide and to protect them, but to prepare their own minds and hearts to communicate with God as their leader and protector; to become intimately sensitive to the divine touch and subtle whispered complaint-ever ready, always susceptible to the directions and warnings given, and to the leading and guiding hand of God, in whose actual being, power and mercy they now staked their lives and the valuables that they were to carry with them.

For they had in their possession to carry with them in treas

ure, silver, gold, and fine copper, precious as gold, valued to about five million dollars. And on the way were Bedouins who robbed caravans in the wilderness. Here was a company of about 1,500, and, counting women, children and slaves, perhaps 6,000 or 7,000.

We can readily understand what a risk it was to undertake such a journey, carrying such valuable treasures, without a cohort for protection, as seen and considered from a purely human standpoint. But from the Christian, divine standpoint, no escort could be safer than the one engaged by Ezra.

O Christian consistency, thou art a precious jewel, but very rarely found in this day of worldliness and superficial Christianity, nourished by indulgence in pleasures, enjoyments, sensuality, luxury.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Ezra's Prayer and Confession.

Returning from Babylon to Jerusalem, Ezra, the priest, who was learned in the law of Moses, and sent by the king to establish order in accordance with the precepts in the law, found his people to have transgressed the law by marrying heathen wives. This almost broke the heart of this faithful servant of the Lora.

Here is a lesson for all ministers and elders of the church and for all Christians as well, who fear and love God and have for their highest aim and purpose the salvation of souls, the upbuilding, development and sanctification of the church, and the praise and glory of God and our ever blessed Savior Jesus Christ.

Now listen to Ezra:

"And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished.

"Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astounded until the evening sacrifice.

“And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God,

"And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to thee my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our tresspass is grown up unto the heavens.

"Since the days of our fathers have we been in great tresspass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings and our priests been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, to the sword to captivity, and to spoil, and to confusion of face (to shame), as it is this day *

* *

"And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken thy commandments

* * *

"And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great tresspass, seeing that thou, our God, HAST PUNISHED US LESS THAN OUR INIQUITIES DESERVE, and hast given us deliverence as this.

"Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations Wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?

"O Lord, God of Israel, thou art righteous; for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold we are before thee in our trespasses for we can not stand before thee because of this."

"Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congrega